Cruise prepares for takeoff in next ‘Top Gun’ movie
Casting is set, filming has started on the much-anticipated “Maverick,” set for 2019. What we know so far.
We’ve all got the need for “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Tom Cruise returns to his role as hotshot pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in one year, screaming into theaters on July 12, 2019.
Talk about the much-anticipated sequel to 1986’s “Top Gun” exploded last year when Cruise announced, “It’s definitely happening.”
But details about director Joseph Kosinski’s film have been maddeningly difficult to come by, even for Martin Blair, who owns the Kansas City Barbeque restaurant in San Diego where key scenes from the original were shot.
“We only hear different snippets – they are filming here or there,” Blair says. “There’s so much interest. People have been talking about this for dec- ades, and it’s finally happening.” Here’s what we know so far:
Filming has started, stopped and resumes in September
Cruise, 56, tapped into his 23-yearold Tom Terrific self, signaling on May 30 that filming had begun with a Twitter post featuring the Ray-Bans, the Maverick helmet and a #Day1 “Feel the need” message.
The Department of Defense, no less, confirmed that “Maverick” was shooting at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego.
After two days of filming, Cruise jetted off to promote “Mission: Impossible
– Fallout” around the world. Shooting resumes in September.
Maverick teams up with Goose’s son
“Top Gun” focused on risk-taking pilot Maverick and his family-oriented wingman, Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards). The bromance ended tragically, with Bradshaw dying after ejecting from their stalled jet.
The new film will feature Maverick, now a flight instructor, mentoring Goose’s grown son (we caught glimpses of the boy in the first movie during the “Great Balls of Fire” performance in the barbecue joint).
News of the intense auditions for the coveted role leaked out. Miles Teller beat out a field that included actors Glen Powell and Nicholas Hoult.
Already showing he’s following in Cruise’s footsteps, Teller tweeted, “I feel the need ...” to confirm the casting.
Iceman makes a return
Cruise’s main “Top Gun” adversary, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer), will be back. Kilmer, who has battled throat cancer, has been playfully campaigning to face off with Cruise on social media and was spotted in “Maverick” headquarters in San Diego.
Kilmer, 58, confirmed the news on Facebook, saying he was “officially in the sequel.” He even hinted at a fan’s request to see a replay of the infamous beach volleyball game.
“I can’t comment on the screenplay, but we all know what we want to see!” Kilmer wrote.
Maverick is gunning the bike, but it’s a new one
Cruise was spotted by TMZ riding a motorcycle on the “Maverick” set. So watch for a homage to the classic scene.
Maverick has traded in his Kawasaki
GPZ900R for a Ninja H2R. List price:
$55,000.
As the motorcycle enthusiast site Ride Apart noted, “Maybe Cruise’s character also got a pay raise?”